Method of making fastener elements



Feb. 28, 1939. E. M. ARENTZEN I 2,148,572

IETHOD OF MAKING FASTENER ELEMENT S Original Filed Dec. 7, 1936 v Patented Feb. 28,1939

auacrz PATENT OFFICE usrnon or MAKING rasmmnnarmms Einar M. Arentsen, Franklin, Pa., or, by

memo assignments, to Joy a corporation of Pennsylvania r company,

Original application Decunber 7, 1936, sci-m No. 114,605. Divided and this application January 4, 1937, Serial No. 119,019

2 Claims. (CL 29-148) This inventionrelates to slide fasteners of a well-known type commonly referred to as zippers, and more particularlyto a method of producing an article of manufacture involving a multitude I of unitarily connected fastener elements, each completely formed and/or finished 'so far as superficial or exposed surface is concerned, before attachment to a stringer or tape; this application being a divisionof my application Serial No. 114,605, filed December 7, 1936, and assigned to Joy Manufacturing Company. 7

An objectof this invention is to provide an improved method ofmanufacture of fastener elements of the type having at one end spaced jaws for gripping a tape and a head at the otherend provided with interlocking surfaces, for example, a projection and a recess.

Other objects of the invention will, in part, be apparent and will. in part, be obvious from the 29 following description taken in conjunction with the acco drawing. in which:

Figure lisanenlargedftaryviewin elevation of an article of manufacture illustrating one form of the invention, this view also 5, illustrating the procedureor steps of a method 1 of forming and shaping the fastener elements of the article in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view similarto Fig. 1, showing a modified form of article, and a modification of o the method of forming and shaping elements embodied in the article;

Figs. 3 and 4 are views in front and edge elevation, respectively, of one of the individual fastener elements after it has been severed from of a continuous rib, spine, or backbone which, for 35 5 the article of either Figs. 1 and 2:

Fig. 5 is a view of an'element in section meii on line V-V of Fig; 3; 1 Fig. 6 is a view of a fastener element after" it has been attached or afiixed to a flexible stringer .or tape;

,Fig.7isaviewsimilarto.1'ig, lbutshowinga modified form of fastener element connecting portion orbelt: a r Fig. 8 is a.view of an element connecting portion after the elements have been severed therefrom, this being different connecting or belt portions associated with any of the articles oi'Flgs.'1,2,and3;

. Figs. 9 and 10 are views similar to Fig. lgbut showing a 'row of fastener-elements disposed one on each sideof the-connecting portion or belt;

the elements of one row in Fig. 9 being opposite to the elements of the other row, whereas in 5 10, the elements of the opposite rows are staggeredoroifsetwithrespcctto.eachother;and-

Fig. 11 is a view to substantially full scale of an article of manufacture embodying the invention and made in accordance with the invention in its finished form and ready for usein the manufacture of zipper fastener assemblies. 5

Throughout the drawing and the specification, like reference characters'indicate like parts.

The ultimate objective to be accomplished by the invention herein disclosed is the production of separable fasteners commonly referred to as 39 zippers, and comprising a pair of flexible stringers or tapes having a plurality of paced elementsflxed or secured to the adiacent edges of the tapes and disposed in such manner that the elements may be brought into interlocking relationship, or out of such relationship, by means well known in the art. I

In Figs. 3, 4, and 5, a fastener element employed in separable fasteners of the type referred to above is designated by the numeral I and in Fig. 6 such an element is shown fixed or attached tothe edge portion of a flexible stringer or tape 2. Element l is formed at one end with spaced jaws or legs 3, and a scoop or head 4 at the other, the scoop or head having on one face thereof a recess or socket 5, and a projection 6 occupying the same relative position as the recess but on the opposite face of the head.

This invention has to do with an article of manufacture, and more particularly to the method 80 of making same. Such article comprises in general a plurality of individual fastener elements i which are unitarily connected, (preferably .in fixed spaced relation to each other), to an edge convenience, may be called a band or ribbon.- Withreference to Figs. 1' and 11, the fastener elements are designated by numeral I and the band or ribbon by numeral 1; in Fig. 2 the iris-- tener elements and the band or ribbon are deslgnated by characters is and la, respectively; and, in Figs. 7, 9, and 10, the fastener elements are designated by characters lb, lc, and Id, respectively, and the band or ribbon by the characters lb, 1c, and id, respectively. I

With reference to Fig. 1, the article of manufacture may be made .or formed by so removing metal, preferably at definitely spaced locations,

"from a long fiat strip of metal and so forming the metal remaining between the: portions so removed, that the band or ribbon and the elements I are shaped and formed but'still unitarily connected to one edge of the band or ribbon. As shown in Figs. land 11, legs 3 of elemental 5s are unitarily connected to the band or ribbon 'l by a neck portion 0.

The manner of removing metal and of forming the element heads or scoops (interlocking heads) 4 may be performed in many ways, but I prefer to carry out these operations in definite steps by means of a punch press presided with suitable dies (not shown), the nature and construction of which will be readily apparent and obvious to o scale.

those skilled in this art.

As the first step of the preferred procedure, a portion of metal is blanked out of a strip II as at H to form substantially one-half of the outer contour of two elements I. This blanking confined to such alocation with reference longitudinal edges of strip III thatnall the stock between elements and extending from one edge of the strip to one edge of the band or ribbon portion I is removed and that-a notch I2 is formedbetween adjacent elements. The strip is then advanced (to the right as seen in Fig. 1) and another portion II is removed whereby two partially formed elements I are obtained. When strip III is advanced again, another portion II is removed and the recess and projection of the interlocking head 4 are formed in a heading or drawing die; and when advanced again, the first partially formed element I is pierced to provide an opening I4 between legs 2 of an element I. With each succeeding advance of strip III, a completely formed element I is produced, save that it is connected by legs 3 to the band or ribbon I.

Strip stock III is fed intermittently through a punch press to form and shape the elements as above described to produce a stock strip of indefinite length having precisely formed and evenly spaced fastener elements I unitarily connected to one edge of the band portion. Such a stock strip is shown in part by Fig. -11 to substantially full From the above it will be seen that a blanking die, a drawing die, and a piercing die are required to form and shape fastener elements I and band or ribbon I. When it is considered that all of these dies work simultaneously, it will be appreciated that each element I must line up precisely with the line of action of each of the dies that work on it. This therefore requires that each .advance must be exact and that the strip must be to a machine which performs the severing and type feed wheel.

held exactly in position, and to accomplish such precision, a locator punch would be employed. The moving portion of the punch press will therefore carry a blanlrlng die, a locator punch, a heading die and piercing die and these would have median lines of actionindicated by lines W--W, Y-Y, and Z-'Z, respectively. This proarticle is fed to a machine for cutting off elements I and stitching them on a tape in that these notches can cooperate with the teeth ofia sprocket To attach the individual fastener elements to a tape as shown in Fig, 6, legs 3 are severed along 'the dotted lines It of Fig; 1, placed astride the edge of the tape and squeezed together to firmly grip the same. The operation of Qsevering and I setting or stitching the elements on a tape can be effectively accomplished by feeding thestock strip stitching operations automatically.- Such a machine would'make use of notches I2 as an aid to accurate and positive feeding of stock strip. For

example, the feeding of the stock strip could be desired, .dependingupon the requirements of the work at hand.

When the requisite metal is punched out of strip- IO to form fastener elements, burrs and wire edges are formed by reason of the shearing action of the dies, which must-be removed in order to insure smooth operation of an assembled "zipper", and

surfaces that are smooth to the touch. One important advantage in making the fastener elements in the manner above indicated, is that the elements may be subjected to finishing operations, in which these burrs and wire edges are removed. Because of the arrangement of elements I of the stocximtrip the entire surface of each element that is e and freed of sharp edges and protuberances prior to the severing of these elements from the stock strip and attaching them to a tape. If desired, the stock strip may be given additional surface treatment before the fastener elements are severed and attached to a tape; for example, the elements may be plated, colored, buffed, or polished, and thereby provide a supply of fastener elements that are completely finished before they areattached to a stringer or tape. Having thus preparedthe articles of manufacture, the same may be fed to a machine designed to sever and attach the elements to a tape and when so attached the stringers would not require further or additional finishlng operations so far as the fastener elements themselves are concerned.

When a stock strip such as shown by Fig. 11 has been produced and the burrs or wire edges removed, the entire exposed surfaces of the individual elements will be free of such objectionable features even after an element has been severed and attached to a tape. While each element I must be severed along the lines indicated in Fig. 1 before it can be attached to a tape, nevertheless any burr or wire edge that would or might result from such severing does not appear in the finished article because such burr or edge is pressed into the tape and increases the grip on the same. To

this extent the burr'orwire edge is not objecticnable but desirable.

sed when aflixed to a tape can be smoothed 1 The article illustrated in Fig. 2 of the diflers somewhat in configuration from the article of Figs. 1 and 11. This difference resides chiefly in the fact that the blanking die which removes the metal corresponding to areas Ila is of diflerent shape. In this case the blanking die partially shapes and severs the legs In of the elements Ia but leaves a somewhat-elongated neck portion to by which elements la are maintained-as an integral or unitary part of the band or ribbon portion la. The blanking die also forms notches I2a between elements Ia adjacentone edge of band 14 with which the protuberances'or teeth of a 'sprocket-likefeed wheel may register when ad vanci'ng the stock strip to a stitching'machine.

Withthe form shown in Fig. 2, the head portion In is formed the same'manner. and sedesired.

the elements of one quence as head 4 is formed, operation employed in Fig. operation of severing an element la corresponds somewhat to the piercing operation employed in the article of Fig. 1, in that element la is severed by shearing along broken line lia, and this, of course, would occur in the machine that stitches or securesthe elements to a tape. The article of Fig. 2 has the same advantages as the article of Fig. 1 in that the elements la while unitary with band or ribbon in may be completely finished, or finished to any degree desired, and all burr or wire edges on exposed surfaces may be removed before the elements are secured to the tape. Any burr or wire edge that may result when an element is sheared along line lid, is not objectionable because it would be pressed into the tape and not appear on an exposed surface.

The article shown in Fig. '7, as is apparent by inspection, is similar in all particulars to the article of Fig. 1, except in the form of the band or ribbon lb to which the elements l'b are atbut the piercing tached. The procedure or method of making would be the same except that a die would be provided to form the feed, notches in the band portion 1b illustrated as a. series of apertures formed along the longitudinal 'axis thereof. These apertures are preferably uniformly spaced and may be of the same shape although I have illustrated these apertures as comprising alternately spaced circular and rectangular apertures l6 and II respectively.

In Fig. 8, a band or ribbon portion 1e is shown from which the fastener elements have been severed. Band la is substantially the same as band lb except that feed notches l8 are formed in the edge opposite to that on which the element connecting neck portionste are disposed.

In Fig. 9, a-stock strip is illustrated that comprises a central ribbon or band portion 'lc having a seriesof spaced fastener elements disposed in rows on each side thereof and each unitarily connected to its respective edges by a neck portion 80. This stock strip may be made in accordance with the procedure or method described in con- -nection with Fig. 1 from a long strip 01'- metal liic whose width is greater than that of strip Ill of Fig. 1 but may be less than twice the overall width of strip H) since the band or ribbon portion serves for two rows of fastener elements. The elements 30 of one row are disposed opposite the elements of the other row and may be completely formed while unitarily connected'to band 10 and given such surface finish treatment. or operations as may be required to provide each element with a smooth exposed surface of the color or finish In Fig. 10 the procedure involved is somewhat the same so far as the forming and shaping of the individual elements Id are concerned. However, row are offset or staggered with respect to the elements of the opposite row. Each element is connected by a neck portion M to the central band or ribbon portion 1d. These ormed in two rows as illustrated from a strip lid of substantially the same width 1 is omitted. The

It will be apparent that the procedure employed in connection with the manufacture of the stock strips shown'in Fig. 2 may also be carried out in the manufacture of a stock strip having two rows of elements on each side of the band or ribbon portion.

Because of the state of completion to which the fastener elements are brought, in my improved stock strip, where the only remaining necessary operations to be performed thereon are, v their severance from the band or ribbon portion and their attachment to the tape member of a sepa-, rable fastener, the fastener elements need not, at any stage of manufacture, be individually handled in any way or for any purpose except the last step of attaching them to a tape. This invention therefore, dispenses with some of the most troublesome and exacting operations heretofore con.- sidered indispensable in the. manufacture of fasteners of this type. I

Havingthus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A method of making a stock strip comprising a row of equally spaced slide fastener elements each having an interlocking head at one end and tape .gripping jaws at the other end and a band or ribbon having one straight edge with the opposite edge formed with lateral extensions which connect with the jaw ends of said fastener ele- .manner that the end of each element which is subsequently provided with the interlocking head is formed inwardly of the adjacent marginal edge of such metal strip and completing the formation of the stock strip by further punching and by die heading or drawing operations of such character that accurately dimensioned fastener elements may be severed from such lateral extensions by a single punching operation for each such fastener element. 7

2. A method of making a stock strip comprising a row of equally spaced slide fastener elements each having an interlocking head at one end, tape gripping jaws at the other end and a band or ribbon having one straight edge with the opposite edge formed with lateral extensions which connect with the jaw ends of said fastener elements,

' which includes the steps of selecting a relatively long metal strip having a width exceeding that of the finished stock strip and a thickness corresponding to that of the jaw portions of the completed fastener elements, punching out successive portions along one edge-of the strip to outline a plurality of fastener elements, completing by a die operation the interlocking head. on at least the first of such outlined fastener elements and then in completing such headed element by punching out material therefrom to form the tape gripping j aw portions thereof.

mum. 

